From Inmates to Playdates

Posts Tagged ‘Olympics’

Only 49 days till we get to see this cat  in action!

I can hardly wait!

It’s Thursday and that means another clever edition of Thursday Thirteen.

It’s time for the Letter O.

Let’s get this thing going.

1. OLIVE GARDEN – One of my favorite restaurants. I ALWAYS order spaghetti with meat sauce. And, I always eat more salad and bread sticks than I should.

2. OCEAN – The McFamily is currently in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The water is breathtaking.

3. OFFROADING – One of McDaddy’s favorite things to do in his heap (ahem, I mean Jeep).

4. OATMEAL – Brown sugar and cinnamon please, with a piece of toast to dip in it.

5. OUTLAW – As in the Dancing Outlaw. If you have never heard of the Dancing Outlaw, I would suggest you go to YouTube and check him out. He is from wild, wonderful West Virginia. He is definitely wild, but not sure about the wonderful part.

6. OFFICE – The Longaberger Home Office is one of the most unique buildings I have ever seen.

7. OCCUPATION – Before becoming pregnant, I was a correctional counselor in a jail. This was my last day in that capacity. I miss my jail friends.

8. ORTHOGNATHIC SURGERY – Otherwise known as Operation-fix-my-overbite – When I was a senior in high school, I had corrective surgery to fix my overbite. My jaws were broken and wired shut for eight weeks. Sweet mercy, can you believe I survived? The first few days after surgery were tough, but it was worth the pain.

9. OUTBACK – I love to eat at Outback. Unless I’m feeling frisky and try something new I always order Victoria’s Filet. That Victoria sure knows how to make a mean filet. And, I love, love, love the side salad. Their croutons are delightful!

10. OLYMPICS – I am an Olympic junkie. My favorite events are swimming, gymnastics, ice skating, beach volleyball, trampoline, diving, speed skating and bobsledding. I wish they were held every year. Oh, and just in case you hadn’t heard, Michael Phelps is my boyfriend.

11. ORGANIZATION – I am big on organization. Yesterday, I made the mistake of attempting to organize all of the photos in my photobucket account into individual folders. I should have left well enough alone because once you move a photo from its original location on photobucket, the link changes and it leaves a big white “IMAGE HAS BEEN MOVED OR REMOVED FROM PHOTOBUCKET BOX” in the place where the picture was. If you are looking at Vintage Inmates To Playdates and you see the big white stupid box instead of a real picture, please bear with me. It will take me a few days to restore all of my photos into their respective posts. GRRRR….

12. ORANGES – Not worth the mess.

13. ORGAN – I hope to save a life one day. If all else fails, I am an organ donor.

If you are one of my eight loyal blog fans, you know that I have a loving relationship with my friend, Google. In fact, since I started blogging, our relationship has blossomed.
 
Today, I consulted Google for some amusing information which will hopefully provide some interesting blog fodder. I typed in ‘Julie Needs.’
 
Here are, according to Google the top 20 things that I need.

1. Julie Needs – Your Help! … Welcome To the World Headquarters for Save Julie: Campaign 2000. … We’ve come to know and love Julie on so many levels.

• ‘know and love Julie on so many levels’ – I love that!

2. Julie Needs – Your opinion.

• You know what they say about opinions. Everybody has one.

3.  Julie Needs - A boyfriend.

• Michael Phelps. Check.

4.  Julie Needs – a new pair of shoes.

• No commentary necessary. (Or 2 or 10 pairs.)

5.   Julie Needs – An Early Start

• Probably could happen if I went to bed sooner. 

6.  Julie Needs – a good home and; she needs it ASAP.

• I already have one. Thanks.

7.   Julie Needs –  coffee

• I’ll pass on the coffee, but if you happen to have an ice-cold Dr. Pepper, you could pass that right to me.

8.  Julie Needs – more friends.

• As a matter of fact, I have plenty of friends. And, they are fabulous.

9.  Julie Needs – one more qualification to complete her Junior AKC hunter title.

• Um hello, what is a Junior AKC hunter thing and why do I need it? The only thing I hunt for is my sanity.

10  Julie Needs – prayers and good vibes.

• Not so sure how much faith I put into good vibes, but I’ll sure take all the prayers I can get.

11. Julie Needs – Your help.

• And a massage too while you’re at it.

12.  Julie Needs – A new camera.

• I actually have a great camera, but I love new stuff.

13.  Julie Needs – to work on her parenting.

•  Because I just couldn’t let this one go, I visited the link. Julie Cooper, whoever you are, you shouldn’t let that sweet little Marissa get to you like that. In the words of a famous author (I can’t think of his name at this moment,) ’There’s no such thing as a strong-willed child, only weak-willed parents.’ Clearly, this author has never met the likes of Marissa. Or my sweet, Alex that matter. Ahem!

14.  Julie Needs – high fiber content

• What?  Believe me, I have no problems in that arena.

15. Julie Needs – a patient family

• Can I get an amen?  At all times, I have at least one little person needing something YESTERDAY.

16.  Julie Needs – to go for cotton styles with a bit of structure rather than anything too flimsy like chiffon, which clings.

• Believe me, with a muffin top like mine, chiffon is the last thing I want to pour myself into.

17.  Julie Needs - your prayers now more than ever.

•  Seriously. I think God Himself is speaking to me through Google. 

18.  Julie Needs – a bath because she is muddy.

• Um, it’s too cold to get muddy today. Could somebody let Mother Nature know its March already.

19.  Julie Needs – to discover “key facts, people, and objects” in her …

• In her what? Go ahead, I’d love to know.

20. Julie Needs –  a breakdown between the VPV and Manufacturing Budget.

• If it involves numbers, you better believe she will need more than a breakdown or there will be a bigger disaster than the one you have now.

If you’d like to head up the Justice for Julie campaign, please apply in the comment section.
 
There you go.
 
A little list of things that Julie Needs.
 
This little walk down ‘Julie Needs’ Lane is proof that no matter what, things could always be worse.

It’s Thursday. And here at Inmates that means another fabulous Thursday Thirteen.

As I make my way through the alphabet each week, I am one week closer to McDaddy returning home from his six-month vacation.

Away we go.

1. Gifts – I love gifts, thanks.You could give me any of these and put a smile on my face.

2. Grace – God gives us freedom through grace. We did not earn it, do not deserve it and cannot repay it. It is free.

3. Germany – I happened to take German in high school and college because I didn’t want to be like my friends and take French or Spanish. And because, you know when I got older it would benefit me so much. Foolish decision. But it did come in handy when McDaddy and I visited Heidleburg, Germany. (I spent the better part of 30 minutes tweaking this picture because it was so friggin’ small!)

4. Goldtown – Our lovely little church. We are blessed to worship with such a great group of people.

5. Garlic Breadsticks - Love them. Especially when sopping up Spaghetti sauce at the Olive Garden.

6. Groom – I could not let this opportunity pass me by. McDaddy was a handsome groom. This picture makes me smile and is a reminder of the happiest day of my life.

7. Golf – Sorry, but I just don’t get it. Looks like the most boring sport on the planet to me. I’m not even good at the Wii Sports golf game.

8. Gymnastics – One of my favorite olympic sports. I secretly wish I had the grace of Shawn Johnson on the balance beam or the power of Nastia Luiken on the vault.

9. Google - If you spend any amount of time around here, you know that I heart google. I consult him frequently.

10. Gynecologist – You may recall I visited the gynecologist recently with my three year old, newly potty trained little boy in tow.

11. Garage – If McDaddy had his way, we would have a five or six car garage. I wish I could make it happen for him.

12. Gamble – I enjoy gambling. I can rock the nickel poker machine like nobody’s business.

13. Gondola – When we were planning our European tour, the gondola ride was one of the things I was most looking forward to. I was sure the gondilier would sing that tune, “When the moon hits the sky, like a bigga pizza pie, that’s amore,” instead, our gondilier talked on his cell phone during the entire ride.

If you are one of my 8 loyal blog fans, you know that today is an important day here at Inmates. Can you believe this is my 100th post? And what better way to celebrate than to tell you 100 things about me. Because you know, you may want to buy me something sometime.

Here we go!

1. I was born on a Tuesday
2. In December
3. Back in 1973
4. I was the youngest
5. Of three kids that included twin brothers
6. I was a loud child who talked constantly
7. And am still loud to this day according to some  most
8. My favorite year in elementary school was 6th grade and my teacher’s name was Ms. Brick
9. My childhood room was purple with a big canopy bed
10. I met my husband in high school
11. We dated for 4 years
12. We were engaged for 2 years
13. And have been married for 10 years
14. Which means we’ve been together for 16 years
15. If my math is correct, which in unlikely
16. Because I suck at math
17. I rarely use racy words on my blog, but might throw friggin’ and suck around everynowandagain.
18. I probably use way too many commas… what can I say, I like to think before I speak (ahem!)
19. Both McDaddy and I played the saxophone in our high school marching band.
20. We also both play piano
21. I love to travel
22. And have been to 31 states
23. We also took an awesome tour of Europe
24. And have been to Canada, Mexico and the Bahamas
25. We honeymooned in Gatlinburg, Tennessee
26. I was a May Bride
27. And we each had 7 attendants
28. I get bored easily
29. But loved planning my wedding
30. I am a military wife
31. My hubby is currently deployed
32. My hubby is my best friend
33. I have been to the Price Is Right twice but never got to COME ON DOWN!
34. I have touches of ADD and OCD
35. I have hiked the Grand Canyon
36. I am very impatient
37. But am married to the most patient man on the planet.
38. I have very serious opinions about my funeral.
39. Which is proof that I am a control freak.
40. In May, 2008, I started going to the gym 4-5 days per week. I have lost 24 pounds.
41. But would like to lose 26 more.
42. Which is why I had to break off my relationship with Little Debbie.
43. TiVo is the greatest invention of my time.
44. I like fonts.
45. I am not crazy about birds.
46. I am addicted to Facebook and mySpace and check them both several times each day… those darn status things are so interesting.
47. I am the nosiest person I know (which probably explains why I love the status things on facebook and mySpace so much!)
48. I drink way to much Dr. Pepper
49. I love Michael Phelps. In fact, I refer to him often as my boyfriend.
50. I have watched The Young and The Restless for over 20 years.
51. I am a reality TV junkie.
52. I listen to KLOVE all the time. (KLOVE is a Contemporary Christian station)
53. My favorite movie of all time is Dirty Dancing
54. I love Mexican food and always order fajitas.
55. The sight of guacamole makes me gag.
56. The only thing I craved during both pregnancies was water.
57. And now I drink about 4 bottles daily.
58. Both of my babies were born via C-Section and were high risk pregnancies.
59. If I were to hit the lottery today, I would make my way to the Saturn dealership and buy a 2009 Saturn Sky Redline.
60. I eat blue cheese on my salad.
61. I enjoy scrapbooking and have scrapbooked about 84% of my boys’ lives. (I totally pulled the 84% out of the sky.)
62. I don’t like Kathy Griffin
63. Not sure where the random thought about Kathy Griffin came from, but it’s true.
64. I am afraid to drive in inclement weather.
65. I don’t like any kind of berry unless your talking about a strawberry poptart or blueberry muffin.
66. I don’t like vanilla scented candles or vanilla body wash stuff
67. I hate to dust
68. I don’t really like using the word hate unless I’m talking about dust.
69. I desire to be like Christ. However, I fail daily.
70. I have a Psychology Degree
71. I breastfed both of my boys for a year
72. McDaddy and I have lived in 4 homes in 11 years.
73. I would like to save a life one day. If all else fails, I am an organ donor.
74. I should floss more often.
75. I am a big-time klutz
76. I will never use “LOL” -  I think it is silly and unnecessary.
77. So I use these  =)   a lot
78. I have used an iron maybe 3 times in my life and never with much success
79. I have not had an uninterrupted night of sleep in probably three years.
80. I often forget to write transactions in the checkbook.
81. This fact drives McDaddy nuts.
82. I do not like coffee and it always puzzles me when people question my drinking Dr. Pepper or coke for breakfast. It is caffeinated after all.
83. While McDaddy is deployed I plan to strip wallpaper and have carpet installed in our basement.
84. If I spent less time on MySpace and Facebook, I could have it done by now.
85. I can drive a stick shift
86. When I was a senior in high school, I had extensive oral surgery that included breaking my jaws and being wired shut for 6 weeks.
87. On top of that, I had 8 teeth pulled and braces and retainers
88. Needless to say, I have pretty (expensive) teeth
89. I have a sign in my kitchen that says “I kiss better than I cook”
90. And it’s true.
91. But I can make a pretty mean pancake.
92. I don’t like snow
93. But I collect snowmen
94. I have always liked my name
95. I love my inlaws
96. I love the new year because it means I get a brand new calendar to fill in
97. I have had acrylic nails for 13 years but I hate getting them filled
98. I have perfect vision after lasek surgery in August, 2007.
99. I sell and collect Longaberger baskets.
100. And, I love getting a new purse.
101. Which is why I’m having a Longaberger purse give-away today!

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post telling me one random fact about you. A winner will be chosen by the accounting firm of random.org on Monday, February 9th at noon. The contest is only open to US Residents. (Sorry to my international loyal blog fans.)

EDITED TO INCLUDE THE WINNER

The Winner of the Longaberger purse is…..

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

10

Timestamp: 2009-02-09 20:09:53 UTC

 And the #10 Commenter is Darcie @ Such The Spot. 

Congrats! Darcie. Send me your mailing address and I’ll send some Longaberger Lovin’ your way.

It is Monday morning – 8:29am. Alex is on the couch catching up on the latest episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and I am in my (big, blue, bloggy) BBB Chair trying to decide whether to post the longest blog post ever called Once Upon A Time, or catch ya’ll up on the happenings around the McResidence before McDaddy set off for his 6-month vacay to a warmer climate in the same time zone as us.

Don’t you love how I just  happen to give cryptic clues as to his whereabouts without actually coming right out and saying where he is.

He would be proud for sure.

I usually tell everything I know. And then some.

And usually some more.

Here’s the tent he’s sleeping in until he can move into his house sometime this week.

And based on his version of events, here is the view he has 100 years away from his tent.

I tend to think that maybe he is really laying (or is it lying) on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean. Isn’t that a lovely view? The only thing he needs is a drink with one of those little yellow umbrellas and a good book.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I’m constantly searching for my sanity and Xing another day off of the calendar.

—

Truth is the four of us are doing okay. And by okay, I mean I typically only cry 3 or 4 times each day and usually when I’m hugging McDaddy’s t-shirt that he wore to bed the night before he left. [Yes, as a matter of fact I am a freak. I'm allowed to be, so don't judge.] Oh, and maybe when a great song comes on like Praise You In This Storm or There Will Be A Day. So, yeah, I’m only crying several times each day.

I am thankful for the web-cam. It works fabulously and it is 1000x times better than just hearing his voice.

Here is what we see when he calls in on Skype.

If you’ll look closely, you will see me in the bottom left hand corner of the screen snapping a picture of  my lap-top. It is all very interesting to me.  I’m thankful that McDaddy purchased this for us. It is a great alternative to having him here.

—

In other news, McDaddy’s absence means that I have full controlresponsibility of the checkbook and bills. Oh internets. The possibilities are endless. Between my almost-inevitable mathematical mistakes and my uncanny ability to frig anything up involving numbers, it’s likely I’ll need an accountant to straighten my finances up next month.

And speaking of finances, did I mention how thankful I am that McDaddy was able to do our taxes the day before he left. I am sending them out today. When the brains of the operation leaves town for 6 months, there are countless things that have to be attended to.

I miss my friend. I miss my partner. I am doing my best to hold this place together. It looks like WV is about to get hit with another big storm today. Yippee. [can you hear my sarcasm?] Heaven help us.

—

Oh, I almost forgot. McDaddy sent this link to me this morning. It concerns my boyfriend, Michael Phelps and a really dumb thing he did. Michael. Michael. Michael. Geez, please get yourself straightened out. Love, Your Girlfriend.

—

Okay, that’s all.

Enjoy your week, ya’ll.

It seems that January, 2009 is shaping up to be the worst month of my life.

With that said, I am trying to be optimistic about the future and our life after we get this deployment behind us.

While I think that a post about 13 things that tick me off might be a great stress reliever, I’m not sure my loyal blog fans (all 8 of you) are in the mood for that today.

I must admit though, it is tempting.

I guess I’ll just continue down the alphabet.

So, here’s 13 random “B” things.

1. Break – Yes, I could use one. Thanks for asking.

2. BIBLE - A book that I don’t read nearly enough of. It is filled with promises. My favorite places to read are Psalm and Ephesians.

3. Burgers – I am fixing hamburgers for McDaddy and 2 of his jeep friends who are coming over to work on a heap (ahem! I mean jeep) in our garage this evening.

4. Bronze – I’m kind of like Micheal Phelps… I prefer gold!

5. Busy – Definately true this week. I feel like I am barely keeping my head above water trying to keep up with the demands of the life of a princess.

6. Billionaire – Never been one, but I’d love to give it a shot. I think I’d be a very generous one.

7. Bracelet – I usually wear one at all times.

8. Beach – I’m not a big fan of swimming at the beach, but I love the sound of the waves crashing against the shore.

9. Blue - When we lived in KY, I worked for a plant that manufactured blue dye (the color blue). It was interesting and after weeks of working there, I would sneeze blue snot. Gross, but true.

10. Baton – I used to twirl one and still get it out from time to time to impress scare McDaddy.

11. Blessed – Even though I complain and whine, I am blessed beyond measure.

12. Breastfeeding - I nursed both of my boys for a little more than a year. It wasn’t easy at first, but it was much easier than bottles and most definately cheaper.

13. Brother – I have 2 of them. They are twins. I love them and would love to see them more often.

There you go!

Happy Thursday ya’ll.

When I sat down to write this mornings’ post, I totally forgot that it was Thursday.

It has been a long week and my mind has not reported back in for duty yet, so whatever it is, it will be simple.

Since the time is 9:55pm and I am writing for tomorrow’s post, I thought I would go ahead with my Thursday Thirteen anyway. Hopefully, I can get this thing published in less than 2 hours.

Pressure people. Pressure.

And, since this blog is a lot like a bag of chex mix (sometimes you get a hard, yucky nut and sometimes you pull out a tasty M&M), I guess I can pick just about anything.

So, without further ado….. here are 13 things that begin with the letter “A”

1.  Al & Aaron – The pastors of our lovely little church.

2.  Apples – Not my favorite fruit but I will eat them if they are peeled and sliced. I’m not a big fan of gnawing biting into fruit.

3.  Alex – my sweet 3 year old who is in the midst of potty training. Heaven help us!

4.  Amazing Grace – One of my favorite hymns and even more special after this post about a true example of God’s amazing grace and divine mercy. I am still rejoicing!!!

5.  Austria – We visited Austria when we toured Europe in 2000. We stayed in Innsbruck, Austria which is home to Maximilian’s golden roof.

6. Air Force – McDaddy is a member of the US Air Force. They are giving him a free six-month trip in approximately 16 days. Lucky us!

7. American Idol – Yee Haw people, season 10 is underway. I am one of American Idol’s biggest fans. I love Simon, Randy and Paula. The jury is still out on Kara. (Don’t you love my never ending references to all things jail related)  =)

8.  Apolo Anton Ohno – For those of you who have no idea who that is… he is an American Gold Medalist in speed-skating and the winner on season 4 of Dancing With the Stars (with partner Julianne Hough).

9.  Age – I’m half-way to 70 and feel like this is the best time of my life.

10. Autumn – I love everything about it. The color orange is one of my favorite colors and I love scarecrows.

11.  Angie – My sweet sister-in-law. (1 of 5).

12.  Artichoke – I’ll pass. Thanks. (Never tried one).

13.  Anteater – The ugliest animal I have ever seen. This one was at the Audobon Zoo in New Orleans.

There you have it with 46 minutes to spare.

Enjoy the long weekend ya’ll!

If you happen to be one of my real life friends, you probably chuckled at that title. Because if you really knew me, you’d know there are many more than 13 weird things about me. If you had the ability to see inside this head-o-mine, you would be very surprised that I am able to get anything done. And the fact that I have the word ‘inmates’ in my blog title should tell you something.

Don’t we all have our things?

Let’s get this thing started.

1. I am very particular about the way I fold my towels.  I fold towels in half and then in half again and I stack them so that the folded edges are facing front like these.  Failure to do so does not sit well with me.

What can I say? I told you I had quirks.

2. It is a pet peeve of mine to receive a piece of mail with an upside-down stamp. And, I really prefer it to be straight against the right side and top of the envelope.

I’m Just Sayin’

3.  I love symmetry. Not sure why, but I like everything to be even. Even things like the icons on my desktop.

4. I make all beds in my home very first thing in the morning unless I am running absolutely late or bleeding. Not that bleeding has ever been an excuse for me not to make the beds, but you get my point. {note: I was sure I had a picture of my bed all nice and tidy on my laptop…seriously}

5. I have been known to take random pictures of myself and have pretty much perfected the technique.

Just ask Anita Renfroe.

6.  If I come to your house and use the restroom, there is a pretty good chance I will take a peek in your bathtub. Just keepin’ it real.

7.  If I am in the right kind of mood, clutter has the ability to send me rightovertheedge….. unless you are talking about the cute little green bench in my bedroom that looks exactly like this one minus the crazy pattern. And then, all bets are off. No matter how hard I try, I cannot! keep! it! clear!

At least, I don’t think it has this same pattern. The pile junk would have to be removed for me to even see the pattern. I think one day last month it was clear.

8.  When I crawl into bed, I always count the hours until I have to be up and ask God to allow me to sleep at least half of those hours uninterrupted.

9.  After a year of being with this clock, I have yet to figure it out completely. And that fact drives me nuts!

10. I have serious opinions about my funeral.  [note: stay tuned for that post.] I would love a Casket Basket. If the Longaberger’s are not available to weave this ole gal a basket casket, then the finest casket of solid mahogany will be fine. Maybe with some bling. Look at it like this… it will be the last gift that anyone will ever purchase for me. So, I want it done right. Remember, I said solid and mahogany, not pressed and wood.

11. I may be known in some circles as a control freak. (ahem! see #10)

12. I love Mexican food, but the site of guacamole makes me gag. Seriously, if you’ve ever changed a baby poop diaper, I have no idea how you could eat the stuff.

And last but not least.

13. I love, love, love the Olympics.

And most especially this guy. 

Just in case you have been living in a cave, that is the man, the machine and my boyfriend, Michael Phelps.

There.

Doesn’t it feel good to know there’s lots of people out there crazier than you?

Enjoy your Thursday, ya’ll!

*Edited to include – For some reason WordPress NEVER lets me center the images without centering my words. OCD ALERT*

It is no secret that I am addicted to a fan of reality TV.

One of my favorite shows, Dancing With The Stars ended this week. This fabulous pair took home the coveted mirror ball trophy.

Oh bloggy friends, did you see that girl dance? She was one of my clear favorites since the start of the season, although if I’m being honest, my money was on Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Misty May-Treanor. Lucky for me I don’t gamble or I would have lost my butt.

And, really losing my butt wouldn’t be such a bad thing, if it meant truly losing some of the junk in my trunk. And, oh internets, you should believe me when I say I would take the dancing world by storm.

For our ninth anniversary (2007), McDaddy purchased two tickets to attend Dancing With The Stars – The Tour. I triple loved watching the show even though McDaddy would just as soon had a tooth pulled. He scored mega-points with those tickets, proving that he’d do just about anything for love.

I watch the show each week and I dream of being a dancer. The sexy seduction of the Rumba, the fun-flirtatious moves of the cha-cha and the swinging moves of the jive. I could totally do them all. In my next life, I hope to have the coordination to pull off a fox-trot… shoot, I just like saying that.

Even though I am probably the biggest klutz you will ever meet.

Instead of dancing that night, I was perfectly content to sit in section 110 of the Bobcat Arena in Charlotte, NC with my camera in hand and my own dancing partner in the seat beside me. With excitement I watched as the dancers made their way across the floor in their bright sultry costumes. I tapped my toes to the beat of the live band which provided the only entertainment for McDaddy as he endured the two-hour show.

The cast danced to a variety of tunes ranging from Singin’ In the Rain to Save A Horse, Ride a Cowboy. That Drew Lachey was fantastic. And so was Joey Fatone. I held my breath hoping that the 2007 champion, Apollo Anton Ohno would make a surprise guest appearance.

No such luck.

I still enjoyed the show. I was impressed with the dancers, both professional and amateur. Their costumes, the live music and, the choreography came together to create a wonderful, entertaining show.

I enjoyed it so much, it inspired me to purchase this

Oh yes I did.

It’s not pretty, but I get it done.

I have added ballroom dancing to the list (yes, another list) of things I’d like to learn someday. Maybe by then, I will have found a truckload of grace and coordination. Right now, the only place I find either of those is in the big book written by the Webster fellow. I will continue to be a loyal fan of the show. When the announcer says…. dancing the foxtrot is Princess Julie and her professional partner… um, I wouldn’t expect for the professional dancers to be standing in line waiting to pick me. I would not be an easy student. I’m klutzy and uncoordinated. Still yet, I’d be a great partner who’d be more than willing to learn and a sure-bet to make the ratings soar.

Until then, I’ll dance with my own star in our bedroom to the sounds of my new-fangled clock radio belting out the sounds of Shania Twain’s – From This Moment, or maybe George Strait’s - I Cross My Heart. When I’m dancing in his arms, I’m perfectly content with my costume, the music and the choreography of my life. I’ll probably never be a star on Dancing With The Stars, but my life partner is the perfect partner for me and I’m glad he’s mine.